Odisha CM To Turn 77 Tomorrow, But Urges Well-Wishers Not To Visit Him

OB Bureau

October 15, 2023 6:10 pm

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who turns 77 on Monday, will not celebrate his birthday in view of the demise of his elder sister Gita Mehta last month.

The Chief Minister has appealed to people not to visit his residence, Naveen Niwas, to wish him on his birthday on Monday, an official release said on Sunday.

As the Chief Minister will not be celebrating his birthday in view of his elder sister’s death last month, he has requested his well-wishers not to visit Naveen Niwas to wish him, said the release from the CMO.

Naveen has decided to skip birthday celebrations for the sixth year in a row this time. Earlier, the CM chose not to celebrate the occasion in 2018 due to Cyclone Titli, followed by Cyclone Fani in 2019 and in 2020 as well as 2021 in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2022, the Chief Minister was away in Hyderabad to attend the curtain raiser to the ‘Make in Odisha’ conclave, the state’s flagship industry-investors meet which was held last year.

It is for the sixth consecutive year that the CM”s birthday will see no fanfare.

Naveen usually avoids celebrating his birthday and on some pretext or the other requests people every year not to throng Naveen Niwas to wish him.

It was in 2011 that he first decided against celebrating his birthday in honour of the flood victims.

Two years later (2013), the state was struck by Cyclone Phailin in which 23 people were killed and about 9 million residents were affected. More than 1 million people were evacuated ahead of its landfall to avoid a repeat of the 1999 cyclone, which saw 10,000 deaths. Choosing not to celebrate his birthday, Naveen held rehabilitation and relief meetings with senior officials with a focus on restoring electricity in the worst-affected Ganjam district.

In 2014, the Chief Minister did not celebrate his birthday in view of the devastation caused by cyclone Hudhud which left three persons dead and hundreds homeless in the state. As a mark of respect to the jawans, who laid down their lives fighting against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, Naveen decided against any kind of celebrations in 2016.

Naveen was born on October 16, 1946, in Cuttack. He became the Chief Minister in 2000 when the state was still recovering from the devastation caused by the 1999 Super Cyclone.